Spirometry News and Research

RSS

Spirometry is a type of pulmonary function test that provides information about the function of the lungs that can be used for a variety of purposes. The test uses a spirometer, a specialized machine with a tube connected, to measure the speed and volume of air that is exhaled into the tube.

ACCP, OneBreath and COPD Alliance to unite on World Spirometry Day

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), OneBreath, the COPD Alliance, and thousands of organizations worldwide will unite on World Spirometry Day, June 27, to promote lung health and elevate the status of often overlooked lung conditions, reinforcing the value of spirometry in the diagnosis of these conditions.

28 Jun 2012

New FIRS data reveals lack of understanding and concern among public about lung disease

New data released by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) to coincide with World Spirometry Day today has revealed a lack of understanding and concern among the public about the world's biggest killer - lung disease, which now claims the lives of almost 4 million people a year.

27 Jun 2012

ECC calls on policy makers across Europe to reduce burden of COPD

As leading figures in respiratory health from across the globe gather in Birmingham for the COPD8 conference ahead of World Spirometry Day, the European COPD Coalition (ECC) is calling on policy makers across Europe to recognise that chronic diseases such as COPD, present as great a threat as the global financial crisis, and is urging collective action.

20 Jun 2012

International Lung Disease conference welcomed to Birmingham by Minister of State for Health

The Minister of State for Health, Simon Burns MPs, is welcoming the major international lung disease conference COPD8 to Birmingham on June 20th as clinicians, researchers and politicians turn their minds to the growing issue of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for healthcare systems and wider society.

19 Jun 2012

Oxidative stress burdens obstructive sleep apnea patients

Obstructive sleep apnea may be associated with increased oxidative burden, say researchers.

8 Jun 2012

Airway inflammation linked with asthma-related mortality rates in older adults

Higher mortality rates among older adult asthma patients compared to their younger counterparts may be due, at least in part, to an increase in airway inflammation, according to a study conducted by researchers in Canada, who note that their results imply that elderly patients are either less likely to follow asthma medication dosing instructions, or that the underlying airway inflammation in elderly patients is relatively resistant to current anti-inflammatory therapies.

22 May 2012

Prenatal exposure to air pollution can be serious for children with asthma

The link between prenatal exposure to air pollution and childhood lung growth and respiratory ailments has been established by several studies in recent years, and now a new study suggests that these prenatal exposures can be especially serious for children with asthma.

21 May 2012

Asthma treatment still inadequate in Australia

Writing in the latest edition of Australian Prescriber, Associate Professor Helen Reddel, research leader at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research says many people are prescribed higher doses than necessary. Most people do not use their inhalers correctly, leading to poor clinical outcomes and wasted medicines.

15 Apr 2012

Prenatal, early childhood mechanisms are potential intervention targets for asthma prevention

Children who develop asthma by age seven have deficits in lung function and increased bronchial responsiveness as neonates, a new study from researchers in Denmark suggests.

31 Mar 2012

Lung function changes linked with asthma occur very early in life

Children who develop asthma by age seven have deficits in lung function and increased bronchial responsiveness as neonates, a new study from researchers in Denmark suggests.

30 Mar 2012

iSonea launches post-market study of WheezoMeter device for pediatric asthma

Medical technology company, iSonea Ltd. today announced the launch of a post-market study using iSonea's WheezoMeter monitoring technology.

29 Mar 2012

New outcome measures may reduce disparities in children with asthma

Newly proposed asthma outcome measures will help standardize and improve results from the hundreds of millions of dollars the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spends annually to study asthma, according to the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), the nation's only organization focused solely on childhood asthma.

3 Mar 2012

Lung function, obstructive airway diseases linked with increased risk of heart failure

A large population-based study has found that lung function and obstructive airway diseases are strongly and independently associated with increased risk of heart failure. Importantly, say the investigators, this association was even evident in never-smokers and was still evident after adjustment for smoking status and number of years smoking. This, they add, indicates "that our results are not primarily confounded by smoking".

26 Feb 2012

Quantitative CT can offer valuable prognostic information for COPD patients

National Jewish Health researchers and their colleagues in the COPDGene research consortium report that a computerized form of radiology, known as quantitative CT, can offer valuable prognostic information for patients and doctors beyond the standard breathing tests most commonly used to evaluate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

4 Jan 2012

Structural changes associated with frequent exacerbations identified in lungs of COPD patients

Using computed tomography (CT), researchers have identified two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are associated with frequent exacerbations, or episodes when symptoms suddenly worsen. Their findings are published online in the journal Radiology.

28 Jul 2011

U.S. physicians to receive nearly $10M from Humana's Provider Quality Rewards Program

Humana Inc. has begun distributing nearly $10 million to physicians across the U.S. who participate in Humana's Provider Quality Rewards Program. Approximately 2,800 physician practices will receive payments of as much as $175,000 in recognition of performance improvements their practices made during 2010 related to improved outcomes for Humana's Medicare members.

21 Jul 2011

MAP Pharmaceuticals submits LEVADEX NDA to FDA for treatment of migraine in adults

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration for LEVADEX orally inhaled migraine drug for the potential acute treatment of migraine in adults.

27 May 2011

EMP levels may help clinicians diagnose early emphysema

Monitoring blood for tiny particles released by cells lining the lungs may help clinicians diagnose emphysema in its earliest stages, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College. The particles, called endothelial microparticles, are shed during the disease process as tiny blood vessels in the lungs, called pulmonary capillaries, are injured and die.

14 Mar 2011

Test that measures destruction of lung air sacs, could help prevent progression of emphysema

During a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered.

12 Mar 2011

Elevated rates of 'Sarcoid Like' Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease found in WTC responders

Mount Sinai researchers coordinating the largest clinical study to date of "Sarcoid Like" Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease in World Trade Center (WTC) responders have found that the rate of the condition was increased in this group as compared to the records of pre-9/11 FDNY personnel. The study is published online in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

7 Jan 2011